Most event speakers treat LinkedIn as a display case. They list past talks, post the occasional conference photo, and wait for organizers to find them. Some do get found this way. But the event speakers filling their calendar consistently are not waiting. They are running a deliberate outreach strategy: identifying the right events, finding the decision-makers, and pitching from a position of established authority.
LinkedIn outreach for event speakers works differently from sales outreach. The goal is not a demo or a discovery call. It is a booking conversation. And the profile, the content, and the outreach sequence all need to work together before any pitch lands the way it should. An organizer who receives a cold pitch from a speaker they have never heard of will Google that person within 30 seconds of reading the message. What they find determines whether the conversation continues.
This article covers the full system: how to build a LinkedIn profile that does the credibility work before you pitch, how to find the right organizers, the exact outreach sequence from cold connection to booked slot, and the content strategy that turns passive followers into inbound inquiries. Whether you are pitching your first conference or trying to add 20 events per year to your calendar, the mechanics are the same.
Why Most Event Speakers Use LinkedIn Wrong (And What Event Organizers Actually Look For)
The majority of event speakers on LinkedIn are positioned identically. Headline: “Keynote Speaker | [Topic] | [Credential].” About section: a third-person bio that reads like a press kit. Featured section: a headshot from a conference two years ago. The profile announces that the person speaks. It does not answer the question that event organizers are actually asking.
That question is not “is this person a speaker?” It is: “Will booking this person solve my problem?”
Every event organizer has a specific problem. A B2B SaaS conference needs someone who can hold the attention of 500 growth-stage founders on a topic they have not heard five times already. A corporate leadership summit needs someone who can shift mindsets on a controversial topic without alienating the room. A regional association conference needs someone credible enough to justify the fee to the board but accessible enough to resonate with members who are not industry insiders.
A speaker profile that positions around credentials and past titles does not answer any of these problems. A profile that positions around a specific outcome for a specific audience, backed by social proof that makes the claim credible, does.
The Three Signals Organizers Evaluate Before Responding to a Pitch
Topic authority. Can this speaker genuinely own this subject? Authority signals include: published content on the topic (articles, a newsletter, a book, a course), professional experience that is directly relevant rather than tangentially related, and a point of view that is specific enough to be interesting rather than broad enough to be forgettable. “Leadership speaker” is not a topic. “Why most leadership development programs fail mid-management and what replaces them” is a topic.
Audience proof. Has this speaker successfully delivered to audiences like ours? Conference organizers are risk-averse. A speaker who has delivered to 200 people at a similar conference is far less risky than an equally knowledgeable person who has never been on stage. Audience proof does not require famous venues. It requires demonstrated, documented delivery: video clips, testimonials from organizers, audience response data.
Social proof architecture. Does the profile make it easy to verify the claims? A name-drop of a past client without any linked evidence is worth less than a short testimonial from the event director with the event name attached. The organizer checking your profile is doing a fast trust verification, not a deep investigation. Make their job easy.
Most cold pitches from event speakers fail not because the speaker is wrong for the event, but because the profile they are pitching from cannot carry the weight of the claim. The outreach and the profile have to work together.
Building a LinkedIn Profile That Makes Organizers Reach Out First
Before any outreach campaign is worth running, the profile needs to be able to close. An organizer who gets your connection request will visit the profile. If it does not immediately communicate relevance and credibility for their specific event type, the request goes ignored.
Here is what each section of the profile needs to do for a speaker.
The Headline: Position Around the Audience, Not the Speaker
Most speaker headlines announce the speaker. The better frame is to announce what the speaker delivers for the audience.
Instead of: “Keynote Speaker | AI & Future of Work | Former Google” Try: “I help tech companies explain AI strategy to non-technical audiences | Speaker, Author, Advisor”
The second version tells an event organizer immediately whether you solve their specific problem. A CTO conference organizer thinking “our attendees need someone who can bridge technical and executive communication” reads the second headline and keeps reading. The first one puts the evaluation burden entirely on them.
The credential can stay, but it works better as a validator at the end than as the lead. Your former employer or title is not your positioning. It is your proof.
The About Section: Write for the Organizer, Not the Speaker Bureau
Most speaker about sections are written as a biography. They move chronologically through a career and end with speaking topics. That structure is written for someone who already knows they want to hire you and needs a bio for the program. It is not written for an organizer evaluating a cold pitch.
Rewrite the about section as a landing page for your speaking services. Open with the specific problem you solve for event audiences: the mindset shift, the skill gap, the uncomfortable truth you help people confront. Follow with three or four concrete deliverables: what the audience walks away with. Then the proof: events where you have delivered this, audience sizes, any data on response (average speaker rating, testimonials, re-bookings). Close with who specifically should reach out and how.
This structure answers the organizer’s question before they ask it.
The Featured Section: Video Comes First
The featured section is prime real estate that most event speakers waste on a static image or a PDF bio. For event speakers, it should open with a video clip. Not a produced highlight reel that looks like a polished sales asset. A 90-second to 3-minute clip from a real talk that captures a genuine audience moment: a reaction, a laugh, a visible shift in the room.
Organizers evaluating event speakers watch clips before they read anything else. A clip that shows real audience engagement in the first 30 seconds is more persuasive than any amount of written credential. The clip does not have to be from a large event. A well-lit clip from a 200-person corporate session with a clearly engaged audience is more convincing than a grainy wide shot from a 2,000-person stage.
After the video: a one-page speaker sheet (PDF or linked landing page), two or three written testimonials from event organizers specifically (not audience members), and a link to a booking inquiry form or calendar.
The Experience Section: Speaking Credits as Proof, Not History
List speaking engagements the way you would list employment: with specificity. Event name, date, topic delivered, audience size if notable, and a one-line outcome. “Delivered the opening keynote on AI adoption to 800 CFOs at the CFO Leadership Council Annual Summit. Received highest speaker rating in the 2025 event.” That entry communicates far more than “Keynote Speaker — various corporate and conference events.”
You do not need 50 credits listed. Five well-documented credits outperform 30 vague ones. Quality and specificity of evidence beat volume of claims on a speaker profile.
How to Find Event Organizers and Conference Decision-Makers on LinkedIn
Finding the right person to pitch is where most speaker outreach breaks down. Sending a pitch to an event’s general inbox, or connecting with a brand account rather than a decision-maker, produces almost no results. LinkedIn outreach for speakers only works when it reaches the specific person who makes or influences the speaker selection decision.
The Roles That Actually Book Speakers
Different event types have different decision-makers. Knowing which role to target is the first step in building your outreach list.
Conference and association events: Look for titles like “Director of Events,” “Conference Chair,” “Program Director,” “Speaker Relations Manager,” or “VP of Programming.” For smaller associations, the Executive Director or CEO often makes speaker decisions personally.
Corporate events: “Head of Events,” “Corporate Events Manager,” “Employee Experience Lead,” “Learning and Development Manager,” or “Chief of Staff” (for internal executive events). For large-scale corporate summits, an outside event production company is often involved. Look for “Event Producer” or “Event Director” at agencies that specialize in corporate events.
TEDx and independent events: TEDx events are organized by licensed community organizers. The organizer’s name is listed on the TEDx event page. Search for their name directly on LinkedIn to find and pitch them. Many TEDx organizers run multiple events over several years and are findable as “TEDx Organizer” in the headline.
Podcasts and virtual summits: “Podcast Producer,” “Host,” or “Content Director.” These are faster conversations than conference bookings and a strong entry point for event speakers building social proof before targeting larger stages.
Sales Navigator Search Logic for Event Organizers
Sales Navigator’s keyword and title filters surface event organizers far more precisely than LinkedIn’s standard search. Useful filter combinations:
Title keyword “events” + Seniority “Director” or “Manager” + Industry matching your target event type (Technology, Professional Training, Non-profit Management). This produces a list of mid-to-senior event professionals across a specific industry vertical.
For finding active conference organizers specifically, add a keyword search for “conference” or “summit” in the title or keywords field. Organizers who actively run recurring events often have the event name in their profile or in their current role description.
Behavioral Signals That Tell You an Event Is Actively Planning
LinkedIn surfaces useful timing signals for speaker outreach. These are the situations where your pitch lands at the right moment rather than six months too late.
LinkedIn Event pages: When a conference creates a LinkedIn Event page, it becomes searchable. Organizations posting about an upcoming event three to six months out are typically in active speaker selection. The event page usually links to the organizing company’s page, which surfaces the individuals responsible.
Posts announcing “call for speakers”: Searching LinkedIn for “call for speakers” or “now accepting speaker submissions” in the past 30 days surfaces events actively recruiting. The person who posted is often either the decision-maker or can route you directly.
Hiring signals: A company posting for an “Events Coordinator” or “Speaker Relations” role is growing its events function, which often means an increased speaker budget and a new person who has not yet filled the calendar. A new events hire is more accessible than a long-tenured director with an established roster.
Post engagement on event-related content: If an event director recently posted about their upcoming conference and received significant engagement, they are in planning mode and will be more receptive to relevant speaker pitches for the next 30-60 days than at any other point in the year.
The Speaker Outreach Sequence: From Cold Connection to Confirmed Booking
The outreach sequence for speakers follows the same structural logic as B2B sales outreach with one important difference: the quality of the pitch message matters more than the follow-up volume. An event organizer who receives a generic pitch will not be won over by persistence. A pitch that immediately demonstrates fit, authority, and preparation can convert in a single exchange.
The Connection Note
Keep it specific and context-driven. Reference the event, a post they made, or a mutual connection. Do not pitch in the connection note.
Examples:
“Saw your post about [Event Name] coming up in [month]. We’re connected through [Mutual Name]. Sending a connect.”
“Running across your work organizing [Conference Name] — been following the programming direction. Good to connect.”
“I spoke at [Similar Event] last year and noticed you’re behind [Their Event]. Connecting.”
Under 200 characters. No ask. The note only needs to establish that you are relevant and deliberate, not random.
The First Message After Acceptance
This is where the pitch lives. It should arrive within 24 hours of acceptance and follow a specific structure: proof of relevance, a specific pitch, and a low-friction next step. Unlike a sales first message, this one can be slightly longer: four to six sentences. Organizers evaluating speakers need more information than a sales prospect needs to agree to a discovery call.
Proof of relevance: Name their specific event and audience. Show you understand who attends and what they care about. “I know [Event Name] draws primarily [Audience Description] who are wrestling with [Specific Challenge]” signals you have done the work.
The specific pitch: Name the talk you are proposing. Not “I could speak about [broad topic].” A specific title and a one-sentence positioning of what the audience gains. “I deliver a talk called ‘[Talk Title]’ that walks [Audience Type] through [Specific Outcome]. At [Past Event], it generated [Audience Response / Organizer Feedback].”
Social proof, briefly: One named past event similar to theirs. One data point on response. Do not list a full resume here.
Low-friction next step: Offer to send a speaker one-sheet and a clip. Do not ask for a call immediately. The call ask comes after they have expressed interest, not before.
Example first message:
“[Name], I know [Event Name] brings together [audience description] focused on [topic area] — it’s the kind of room where [specific relevant observation about their audience].
I deliver a talk called ‘[Title]’ that helps [audience type] [specific outcome]. I recently delivered it at [Similar Event] to [audience size] and it [specific result: organizer re-booked, highest-rated session, etc.].
Happy to send over a one-pager and a short clip if it’s worth a look for the [month/year] program.”
That message is specific, credible, and asks for almost nothing. The organizer can say yes or no to a one-pager without committing to anything.
The Follow-Up Sequence
If the first message gets no reply after five to seven days, follow up once with a new angle. Do not resend the same pitch. Add something:
A new piece of social proof: “Since I reached out, I confirmed a keynote at [Related Event] in [Month] — wanted to follow up in case [Their Event] timing works.”
A relevant content piece: “I published something on [Topic] last week that’s gotten a strong response from [audience type]. Thought it might be relevant to your programming theme.”
A timeline prompt: “I know speaker selections for [season] events usually wrap up around [month]. Just checking in before the window closes.”
After two unanswered messages, stop. Move the contact to a longer-term follow-up cadence and re-engage 90 days later when the next planning cycle begins.
Pitching Corporate Event Planners vs. Conference Organizers
These are different conversations and the pitch needs to reflect that.
Conference organizers are selecting content for an audience of peers. They care about thought leadership, originality of perspective, and whether the speaker will be seen as additive to the program’s credibility. The pitch should lead with the idea and the audience insight.
Corporate event planners are selecting an experience for an internal audience with a specific business objective: team alignment, culture reinforcement, skill building, or executive communication. They care about whether the speaker can deliver a measurable outcome for their specific audience and context. The pitch should lead with the business problem and the outcome the talk produces, not the intellectual content.
The same speaker delivering the same talk can pitch it completely differently to each audience. Organizer pitch: “A contrarian take on why most [topic] frameworks fail that your audience of [role] will push back on in the best possible way.” Corporate planner pitch: “A session that helps your [team type] leave with a clear, actionable [skill/framework] they can apply in [specific context] within [timeframe].”
LinkedIn Content Strategy That Drives Inbound Speaker Requests
Outreach builds pipeline actively. Content builds pipeline passively over time, and the compounding effect of consistent niche content over 90-180 days often produces more inbound speaker inquiries than an equivalent amount of cold outreach. The two strategies reinforce each other: content makes the outreach land harder, and outreach accelerates the audience growth that makes content more visible.
The Content Types That Drive Speaker Inquiries (vs. The Ones That Drive Likes)
Most event speakers post conference photos, motivational quotes, and long reflective posts about lessons learned. These generate engagement from peers and existing followers. They rarely generate inbound booking inquiries because they do not signal topic authority to people outside the speaker’s existing network.
The content types that consistently drive inbound speaker inquiries share one characteristic: they demonstrate specific expertise on a defined topic in a way that is immediately actionable or perspective-shifting for a target audience.
Contrarian takes on niche topics. A short post (150-250 words) that challenges a widely accepted belief in your space, with a specific counter-argument and one piece of evidence. These posts get shared by people who agree with the take and debated by people who do not. Both are reach. An event organizer who reads a contrarian take that aligns with their programming theme will often reach out without any cold outreach from the speaker.
Data-backed observations. “Here’s what I’ve noticed after [X] conversations with [audience type] about [topic]” posts that aggregate real insight from real experience. These signal depth and access that an organizer cannot find in a textbook. Specificity is what makes these work: “I’ve spoken to 200 SDR managers in the past 18 months” is more credible than “I have extensive experience with sales teams.”
Talk clip excerpts posted natively. Short clips (60-90 seconds) posted directly to LinkedIn, not linked from YouTube, that capture a sharp moment from a real talk. The clip should contain a complete idea, not a teaser. Clips that deliver a full insight in under 90 seconds demonstrate both speaking ability and intellectual depth simultaneously. These are the most direct signal to an organizer that the speaker can hold a room.
Commentary on industry news and research. A genuine reaction to a published report, a new study, or a major event in your niche, with a specific point of view rather than a summary. These posts position you as someone thinking actively about the topic, not just presenting past material.
The 90-Day Content Strategy Before a Major Outreach Push
Running a cold outreach campaign to 50 event organizers is significantly more effective when the profile is actively publishing than when the last post was 60 days ago. A 90-day content sprint before an outreach push changes the profile from a static credential display to an active intellectual presence.
The output needed is not high. Two to three posts per week for 12 weeks produces 25-35 pieces of content. Prioritize: four to five contrarian takes, three to four data-backed observations, three to four native video clips, and the rest as shorter commentary pieces. By week 8, the profile begins to show consistent activity on a defined topic, which is the signal that makes cold outreach land as “follow-up from someone I’ve been seeing in my feed” rather than “completely random pitch.”
Post timing matters less than consistency. Posting three times in one week and then nothing for two weeks produces less compounding effect than posting twice every week without exception.
Building the Niche: Why Broad Topic Speakers Get Passed Over
“Leadership,” “innovation,” “resilience,” and “the future of work” are categories, not topics. Every major speaker bureau has hundreds of speakers in each of those categories. An event organizer with a specific programming need searches for specificity, not breadth.
The event speakers who generate the most inbound on LinkedIn have a defined niche narrow enough to own but broad enough to apply across industries. “Why remote teams underperform on complex decisions and how to restructure the communication model” is a niche. “Remote work” is not. “The post-IPO identity crisis that kills founder-led cultures” is a niche. “Leadership transitions” is not.
Building content around a specific niche over time creates search-like discoverability on LinkedIn. People in your network share a contrarian take on your niche topic with someone planning an event in that space. That referral is worth more than twenty cold outreach attempts.
Scaling Your Speaker Pipeline: From Manual Pitches to a Repeatable System
Running ad hoc speaker outreach produces ad hoc bookings. A consistent speaking calendar requires a system: a way to identify and qualify events continuously, a templated but personalizable pitch process, and a tracking system that tells you where every conversation stands.
The Monthly Pipeline Cadence for Speakers
A manageable target for an active speaker: 15-20 new event organizer connections per month, with five to eight first-pitch messages sent to those who accept within the first week. At a 20-30% pitch-to-conversation conversion rate (typical for well-targeted pitches from strong profiles), that produces one to three active booking conversations per month. At a 30-40% booking close rate from active conversations, the math produces two to five new bookings per quarter from outreach alone, supplemented by inbound from content.
That volume requires a system, not a daily decision about who to reach out to.
Monthly research session (2 hours): Use Sales Navigator or LinkedIn search to identify 30-40 event organizers and conference directors in your target verticals. Score them by event fit, timing signals, and accessibility. Add the top 20 to an outreach queue.
Weekly connection batch (30 minutes): Send 15-20 connection requests from the queue with specific, researched notes. Track acceptance in a simple spreadsheet or CRM.
Weekly first-message batch (45 minutes): Review the previous week’s acceptances. Write and send first-pitch messages to accepted connections. These should be personalized to each event but follow the same structural framework.
Weekly follow-up review (20 minutes): Check which first messages are past the 7-day mark without a reply. Send one follow-up per unanswered pitch with a new angle.
That cadence totals roughly three to four hours per week and produces a consistent prospecting machine without requiring a new strategy decision every day.
Where Automation Fits (and Where It Should Not)
The research layer and the connection request layer of speaker outreach are good candidates for automation. Finding event organizers at scale, enriching their profiles, and sending connection requests with personalized notes based on their event and role can be systematized with tools like Dealsflow, which manages the connection outreach and initial message sequencing while keeping each message specific to the recipient. For a speaker building a consistent pipeline of 20+ event conversations per month, handling the research and connection layer manually is the bottleneck that automation removes.
The pitch message itself should not be automated without real personalization. A generic first-pitch message to an event organizer is immediately recognizable and generates no response. The structural framework stays consistent. The event name, audience description, talk positioning, and relevant social proof get filled in per target. This is the 20% of work that produces 80% of the results.
As the system produces more inbound from content over time, the outreach volume can scale down and the pitch quality can scale up, shifting from 20 connection pitches per month to 10 higher-investment pitches to better-fit events.
Conclusion
Getting booked as a speaker through LinkedIn is not a passive activity. The speakers with full calendars are running a deliberate system: a profile positioned around outcomes for a specific audience, a content presence that demonstrates niche authority, and a proactive outreach sequence targeting the right decision-makers at the right time in their planning cycle.
The profile comes first. Before running any outreach, audit whether your current LinkedIn presence can carry the weight of a cold pitch. If an organizer visits your profile after receiving your connection request and cannot immediately answer “what does this speaker do, for what audience, and what does that audience get from the talk,” the outreach fails regardless of how good the pitch message is.
Once the profile is ready, build the content cadence. Two to three posts per week on your defined niche for 90 days creates the active intellectual presence that makes cold pitches land as warm ones.
Then run the outreach system: 15-20 organizer connections per month, seven to eight first-pitch messages, one follow-up per unanswered pitch. Track it, iterate on the pitch based on what generates responses, and let the content compound in the background.
The speakers who are hardest to book are not always the best speakers. They are the ones who made the decision to treat getting booked as a system rather than a hope.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I use LinkedIn to get speaking engagements?
Getting speaking engagements through LinkedIn requires three things working together: a profile that communicates your specific topic, target audience, and past speaking proof clearly; a content strategy that demonstrates niche authority to people outside your existing network; and an active outreach strategy that identifies event organizers and conference directors and pitches them directly. Most speakers focus only on profile optimization. The ones booking consistently also run outreach and content in parallel.
What should a speaker’s LinkedIn profile include?
A speaker-optimized LinkedIn profile should include a headline that positions around what you deliver for audiences (not just your credential or title), an about section written for event organizers rather than as a biography, a featured section with a real talk clip as the first item, and an experience section that lists speaking credits with specificity: event name, audience description, and a one-line outcome. Written testimonials from event organizers specifically carry more weight than audience member testimonials.
How do I find event organizers on LinkedIn?
Search for titles including “Director of Events,” “Conference Chair,” “Program Director,” “Speaker Relations Manager,” and “VP of Programming.” For corporate events, search “Head of Events,” “Learning and Development Manager,” and “Employee Experience Lead.” Sales Navigator allows filtering by title keyword, seniority, and industry simultaneously, which produces more precise results than standard search. Behavioral signals that indicate active planning include LinkedIn Event pages for upcoming conferences, posts announcing “call for speakers,” and hiring signals for event staff roles.
What should I write in a LinkedIn message to an event organizer?
The first message to an event organizer after they accept your connection request should include: a demonstration that you know their specific event and audience, a named talk with a one-sentence positioning of what the audience gains, one specific past event similar to theirs with an outcome data point, and an offer to send a speaker one-sheet and clip. Do not ask for a call in the first message. Ask for permission to send materials. Keep the message to four to six sentences.
How many times should I follow up with an event organizer who hasn’t replied?
Follow up once after five to seven days of no reply, with a new angle rather than a repetition of the original pitch. A second follow-up is acceptable if you have new information: a recent booking at a relevant event, a published article on their conference topic, or a programming timeline prompt. After two unanswered messages, stop active outreach and move the contact to a 90-day re-engagement list for the next planning cycle. Persistence beyond two messages rarely converts and damages the relationship for future cycles.
What content should speakers post on LinkedIn to get booked?
The content types that generate inbound speaker inquiries most reliably are: contrarian takes on niche topics that challenge accepted wisdom in your space, data-backed observations from real experience with your target audience, native video clips (60-90 seconds) from real talks that deliver a complete insight, and specific commentary on industry news with a clear point of view. Motivational quotes, conference photos, and general reflections generate engagement from existing followers but rarely drive inbound from new event organizers who do not already know you.
How long does it take to build a speaking pipeline on LinkedIn?
A consistent inbound pipeline from LinkedIn content takes 90-180 days of consistent niche posting to generate its first meaningful results. Active outreach can produce booking conversations within the first 30 days if the profile is strong. The combination of outreach for immediate pipeline and content for compounding inbound produces the most consistent results over a 6-12 month horizon. Speakers who treat LinkedIn as a one-time profile update rather than an ongoing system rarely see sustainable results.
Should I pitch conferences or corporate events first?
Most emerging speakers build their reel faster through corporate events than conferences. Corporate events book on shorter lead times (often 4-8 weeks rather than 6-12 months), have more flexible speaker selection criteria, and tend to pay better per engagement at the mid-tier level. Conference speaking builds public credibility and thought leadership visibility faster. A practical approach: pitch corporate events aggressively in the first year to build documented delivery proof, then use that proof to pitch conferences from a position of demonstrated results.
Is it appropriate to use automation for speaker outreach on LinkedIn?
Automation is appropriate for the research layer (identifying event organizers, enriching profiles) and the connection request layer (sending personalized notes at scale). The first-pitch message should be written specifically for each event rather than fully automated, because a generic pitch to an event organizer is immediately recognizable and generates no response. The structural framework can stay consistent, but the event name, audience description, and relevant social proof need to be filled in per target. Automation that removes the research and connection overhead allows more time and attention to be spent on the pitch quality that actually converts.
What is a realistic speaking pipeline from LinkedIn outreach?
A speaker running a consistent LinkedIn outreach system (15-20 organizer connections per month, five to eight first-pitch messages per month) with a strong profile and active content presence can expect one to three active booking conversations per month from outreach, with an additional one to two inbound inquiries per month from content once it has been running for 90+ days. At a 30-40% close rate on active conversations, that produces two to five new bookings per quarter from LinkedIn alone. Results vary significantly based on topic niche, existing credibility, pitch quality, and whether the profile is strong enough to close the conversations outreach initiates.
How do I pitch a TEDx talk through LinkedIn?
TEDx organizers are findable on LinkedIn by searching their name directly from the TEDx event page. Each TEDx event is run by a licensed local organizer, who typically has their organizing role listed in their LinkedIn experience section. The pitch approach is different from conference pitching: TEDx organizers are looking for ideas worth spreading to a general audience, not specialized expertise for a professional audience. The pitch should lead with the specific idea your talk presents, the counterintuitive insight or reframe it offers, and why it resonates beyond your professional niche. A talk clip demonstrating clarity of explanation and audience engagement is the most important supporting material.